I-Team: Union supervisor fired in overtime probe

CRANSTON, R.I.—The state has fired a union supervisor at the Training School who was accused of getting paid for overtime he never worked.

Thomas Fitzpatrick’s dismissal came as a result of information uncovered by the NBC 10 I-Team.

The I-Team last year obtained time sheets showing Fitzpatrick put in for 79 days of overtime that he never worked. He was paid more $5,700 for the bogus overtime. (Read previous story.)

Following the I-Team’s original story, state police began an investigation. But the I-Team found that Fitzpatrick’s supervisor, Warren Hurlbut, had approved the overtime.

It’s not clear whether Hurlbut knew that Fitzpatrick didn’t work the actual overtime shifts, but it was Hurlbut who signed his work sheets that showed he didn’t work on the nights he claimed he did.

The Human Resources Division at the state Department of Administration held a hearing on Fitzpatrick’s overtime issue. It too found that he didn’t work the overtime he recorded.

“As of today, Thomas Fitzpatrick is no longer employed by the state. We are researching ways to re-coup the money he obtained from the overtime payments,“ the Human Resources Division said in a statement Wednesday.

But it’s not clear if the state can get the money back. If that’s the case, Rhode Island taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $6,000 in overtime that Fitzpatrick never worked.

Department of Administration officials said some of the signatures of Fitzpatrick’s supervisor on the time sheets were not Hurlbut’s.

A spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch said the attorney general is reviewing the case referred to them by state police.

The I-Team was unable to reach Fitzpatrick.